Ben Lucas says he and Mike Harris will not be simply warming the seat at fly half for Queensland ahead of Quade Cooper's return from a knee injury in April.

Cooper could miss the opening two months of the Super Rugby season, having torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Australia's 21-18 win over Wales in the bronze medal play-off at the World Cup last October.

He underwent surgery and was given an initial prognosis that he will be sidelined for at least the first seven rounds of the Reds' Super Rugby title defence.

Lucas and Harris have spent the preseason vying to replace Cooper in the number 10 jumper and they will get the chance to show their wares when the Reds play the Brumbies in a trial match in Cairns on Saturday night.

Harris will get first bite of the cherry as he was named to start at fly half, but Lucas will get his opportunity later in the match.

The pair are likely to share the role again in the Reds' second and final trial match against Western Force in Perth on February 16.

Lucas, who was the Reds' starting full-back last season until sustaining a knee injury against the Brumbies in round 16, outlined that he and Harris have an ideal opportunity to impress coach Ewen McKenzie in Cooper's absence.

He highlighted that Cooper's mercurial talents in attack will be missed, but maintains the Wallabies playmaker will need to earn the fly half role when he returns from injury

"Obviously Quade did tremendously for the Reds last year but we don't have him at the moment," Lucas said.

"So, we've got to concentrate on out jobs and moving the team forward."

Lucas is no stranger to playing fly half, having excelled in the position at the schoolboy level and did enough for club side Sunnybank in 2007 to have then-Wallabies coach John Connolly mention his name as a prospective bolter for his World Cup squad in France.

He was chosen as a back-up number 10 when signed by the Reds under Phil Mooney for the 2008 season, but the presence of Cooper and Berrick Barnes saw Lucas used mostly at half-back, the position he held at the end of 2008 and at the start of the Reds' 2009 campaign.

A rib injury and the outstanding form of Will Genia meant Lucas fall out of favour at half-back but his utility value was enhanced when McKenzie took charge in 2010 and he finished the season at full-back.

The 24-year-old's ability to play three key positions was a reason he was selected by Wallabies coach Robbie Deans for the two-match tour of Great Britain following last year's World Cup.

But he is keen to make the most of the playmaker role at fly half, having already played that position in defence during 2011 when Cooper was moved out of the frontline and into full-back.

"At 15 I tried to help Quade out as much as I could last year and drop in where I was needed," Lucas said.

"But being there more often now I'll be looking to stamp what I can do on the game earlier and see what happens."

A race in two

McKenzie admits he has cut the fly half audition process down to Lucas and Harris, with the names of Jono Lance, Ben Tapuai and Dallan Murphy having been mentioned as possible candidates during the preseason.

He is not leaning either way at this stage, but will place much emphasis on how the pair handle their game management in the heat of battle, even though it is just a preseason trial.

"It's no each-way bet, we've been working methodically in the preseason to have a look at al the candidates," McKenzie said.

"We had a bunch and we've narrowed it down we've given Mike a crack against the Brumbies. The Brumbies are in good form from what we can see."

Like Lucas, Harris also had his 2011 season cut short by a knee injury suffered against the Rebels in Melbourne last May.

The former New Zealand under-20 representative had been starting outside Cooper at inside centre and is desperate to recapture a starting position this season.

Harris says he is not reading too much into suggestions of a rivalry between himself and Lucas, but he realises he needs to put his best foot forward against the Brumbies.

"Obviously we're both competing for the same position and hopefully that brings out the best in both of us," he said.

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